BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Amazon.com is taking the temperature of the southeast Baltimore neighborhood that will be home to its new fulfillment center.

Pat Warren reports nearly a year in advance of opening, company representatives met with the community.

Baltimore has struck pay dirt. Amazon.com plans to ship a boatload of merchandise through what was the GM Auto plant site on Broening Highway.

“An Amazon fulfillment center is where we pick, pack and ship customer orders and we’re excited to be creating a thousand full time jobs at our building here in the city of Baltimore,” said Kelly Cheeseman, Amazon.com.

Those thousand plus workers will include entry level, as well as experienced warehouse workers. Amazon offered no dollar amount but say they typically pay 30% more than the average retail job and that benefits start right away.

“We also offer a program for employees where we’ll prepay the cost of tuition for our employees to go back to school,” Cheeseman said.

Amazon’s warehouse, 28 football fields of space, is expected to have an economic impact on the surrounding area, as well.

“We’re hoping it means a lot more jobs for our community because most of the people that live in this community could either walk there to just take a bus. It’s going to be so convenient, they could even bike there,” said Shirley Gregory, St. Helena Community Association. “It’s so close.”

Several of those neighbors attended a meeting held by Amazon to find out more about the potential impact of the warehouse.

“It’s good news—not just for our community; it’s good news for Baltimore, period,” Gregory said.

Amazon expects the warehouse to open next spring.

An added benefit for the state is that once the fulfillment center is up and running, Marylanders who shop Amazon online will be paying state sales tax.

Amazon is expecting to start taking applications two months before the warehouse opens.